Disclaimer: I don't own anything. (Though I wish I do)
Summary:
Have you ever heard of Black Magic? What do you know about them? Natsuki is a rising star in the Fuka Police Headquarter who solves her case based on logic & facts. However, her world is turned upside down when she meets Shizuru. Shizuru lives in a world that can never be defined by logic and facts. What happens when the two meet? ShizNat Rated T for now. Actually who cares right? We are all adults now. Just go for the most liberal (or is it strictest) rating! It is for adults!
Shizuru smiled and watched as Natsuki relented and drove off with Mai to the first crime scene.
But when they disappeared into the distance, the smile on Shizuru's face turned a slightly dangerous edge.
She was perfectly fine when Tokiha Mai-san showed animosity towards her. She wouldn't expect everyone to like her. She wasn't expecting to be Miss Popular and she had her group of haters too.
But Shizuru found herself not being able to tolerate the fact that Tokiha Mai-san wore that same helmet she wore previously. And sat behind Natsuki on the bike, wrapping her hands around Natsuki.
She really didn't like that the person sitting behind Natsuki wasn't her.
Shizuru could feel the displeasure building up within her as she snapped her phone open.
"I am at the library. Send the car over now."
Ten minutes later, Mikoto stepped out of the car and greeted Shizuru.
But to Mikoto's surprise, Shizuru strode past her and slid into the driver seat with barely a nod at Mikoto and slammed the car door shut.
And within seconds, the car was off, leaving Mikoto staring at the exhaust fumes from the car.
That was so uncharacteristic of Shizuru-sama. Mikoto thought. Shizuru-sama would always acknowledge her presence in one way or another and allow her to chauffeur Shizuru-sama around. But today, Shizuru-sama just walked past her and drove off with the her.
Natsuki and Mai didn't have to wait long before Shizuru arrived at the carpark.
"Kanina Natsuki. I hope that you didn't wait too long." Shizuru spoke the moment she slid out of the car.
"We didn't. You came quickly." Natsuki replied.
Mai rolled her eyes and was about to make a snarky comment when Natsuki bummed her aside and gave her a warning glance.
Mai rolled her eyes again and showed a movement of pulling a zipper across her mouth.
"Ne Shizuru, could you show us the remaining crime scenes?"
Natsuki strode next to Shizuru, making sure to keep Mai far away from Shizuru.
"Definitely. Just follow me."
Victim A, the first victim, and Victim B, the second victim, were killed in the second park.
Unlike many other universities, Fuuka University placed much emphasis on the needs of both humans and the environment. So when Fuuka University was first built, the founding members requested that nature be part of the structure in the university. It shouldn't be simply utilitarian blocks of buildings but a seamless integration of nature and structures. Thus, as a result, there were quite a number of parks around the campus.
Victim C was found in the first park while Victim A and B were found in the second.
Victim A was a male third year student in the Fuuka U and he was on his way home after a partying session with his friends. He was alone when he cut across the park towards his hostel but was killed along the way.
Victim B was a female fourth year student. Unlike the other two victims, Victim B visited the park often as part of her exercise routine. She lived in the hostel as well and would visit the park at night to jog and exercise.
"Let's start with the second crime scene for Victim B first and then go backwards to Victim A." Natsuki suggested to see if there could be a pattern between the victims.
But just as they were about to move off, someone called out to Natsuki.
"Natsuki! Hey Natsuki!"
There was a frown on Natsuki's face as she turned around. She didn't recognise the voice.
There was a man waving his hand at them. To be more exact, waving at Natsuki.
Mai glanced at Natsuki, wondering since when did she meet a new guy? The guy was quite good looking to be honest.
Shizuru narrowed her eyes when she saw the guy. It was Shinoyama Kento-san. She didn't know that Natsuki stayed in contact with Shinoyama Kento-san after their last meeting at the restaurant (Chapter 7). She disliked not knowing what happened in between when she wasn't with Natsuki.
Once again, Shizuru felt this sense of growing displeasure within her.
But soon her displeasure was dispelled when she heard Natsuki say, "Sorry, but how may I address you?"
The man froze on the spot with his hand still hanging in mid air.
There was an awkwardness in the air until Mai burst out in laughter, which she tried badly to conceal it with a cough. Here she thought Natsuki was meeting a new guy but apparently it wasn't, judging from Natsuki's reaction. It had always been like this ever since she met Natsuki in the Police Academy. Guys and girls showing interest in Natsuki. But Natsuki was totally oblivious to it or at least not interested in them.
"He is Shinoyama Kento-san." Shizuru took the initiative to explain to Natsuki. There was a smile in her voice as she explained. "We met him previously."
Then there was silence for a moment as Natsuki tried to recall if she had really seen him before.
The silence dragged for a bit too long until Natsuki finally replied, "Right. Shinoyama-san. Nice to meet you again."
"Er…Natsuki, what brings you here?" Shinoyama Kento smiled and asked, though his smile seemed a bit strained and awkward at the corners.
"Work. I am here due to work. And it would be Inspector Kuga." Natsuki corrected Shinoyama Kento, obviously disliking the drop of honorifics from him. "And this is Inspector Tokiha." Natsuki pointed towards Mai before continuing, "My apology, but we are working on a case now. Please do excuse us."
Natsuki nodded her head and turned to move off with Shizuru and Mai.
Just as Shizuru turned to follow Natsuki, she glanced at Shiniyama Kento. His face was contorted in a hardly suppressed anger. She guessed that his pride and ego were dented and it was the first time he embarrassed himself in front of others.
Actually, no, make that twice. The first time was with her. Shizuru made sure Shinoyama Kento wouldn't dare to approach her again.
Perhaps she should also make sure he wouldn't dare to approach Natsuki again. Shizuru thought as she walked side by side with Natsuki.
She wouldn't want some pests hanging around Natsuki.
They spent another 3 hours tracing the steps of the victims and scrutinising the crime scenes.
"Can we also access the victims' hostel?" Natsuki asked as she looked at Shizuru.
Shizuru thought about it before replying. "I can arrange for that. We should be able to visit their hostel today. I will go and collect their keys. Currently only Victim A and B stays in a single room hostel. I can collect the keys from the Administrative Building. As for Victim C, she stayed in a hostel with her friend. I would need to contact her friend."
"Thank you. Sorry to trouble you. We can just follow you to the Admin Building."
At the Admin Building, the three of them were seated on the sofa, waiting to retrieve the keys. The Admin Office would need some time to process and approve the collection of keys. It was against the school regulations to issue out students' keys to unrelated people, not even to staff of the university.
They were waiting in a room when the door opened and a man walked in. He was wearing navy coloured pants coupled with a long sleeved shirt rolled up to his elbows. And the attire was completed with a gray coloured tie.
He would have looked entirely like an office personnel had it not been the head full of spiky brown hair and the small scar that cut across his left cheeks.
"Viola-san, I heard you requested for the keys to access the hostel." He paused when he caught sight of a blue-hair lady seated at a corner. But the pause was too short for others to notice as he quickly recovered and continued his sentence. "In particular the keys to access the hostel of the three students, who unfortunately, passed away recently."
"Ara… Masashi-san, gokigenyou." Shizuru stood up from the sofa and shook hands with Masashi Takeda, stepping slightly to the right to stand between Natsuki and him. Others might not have noticed the slight pause but Shizuru sure did. She noted the slight pause when he saw Natsuki seated at a corner. "I didn't expect them to inform you and for you to come here personally."
He smiled. "Please don't be mistaken. I was just walking past when I heard their conversation about your request. Hence, I decided to drop by to see how else I can assist you with." He glanced at the blue-haired lady and asked, "And how may I address the two ladies here?"
He was careful not to single Natsuki out and Shizuru had to give him credit for that. He was no longer the stammering youth he used to be ten years ago, always plunging into situations whenever possible and jumping into conclusion. He had learnt how to package himself into a savvy successful man, measuring his actions based on different situations.
"This is Inspector Kuga and Inspector Tokiha." Shizuru gestured to the two. "I would be assisting them in their investigation of the recent incidents. I'm sure you would also have received a circular regarding this."
"Ah… I see. Inspector Kuga and Inspector Tokiha, nice to see you." Masashi Takeda smiled as he shook hands with both of them. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am the managing director of student management. We will try our best to assist you in whatever way possible. Just let us know."
"That would be great ne, Masashi-san." Shizuru injected, refocusing his attention from Natsuki to her. "It would be helpful if you could expedite the collection of keys. Lt Kuga and Lt Tokiha would like to continue their investigation as soon as possible."
"I see. Definitely. I will do that now." Masashi Takeda nodded his head at Natsuki and Mai. "Please excuse me ladies. I will be back with the keys."
And just like what Masashi Takeda promised, he returned back shortly with the keys and a file.
"Here are the two keys to the first two victims. As for the third victim, she lived with a friend. So you would need to contact her friend in that room. I printed a copy of her contact details." Masashi Takeda handed the material to Natsuki.
"Here is my name card. Please accept it. You can also contact me directly should you need further assistance." Masashi Takeda handed over his name cards to Mai and Natsuki. "Perhaps, for the ease of communication, could I also have your name card please? I could contact you should I recall any information regarding the incidents."
The exchange of name cards took place between the three of them while Shizuru watched on.
Masashi Takeda really had come a long way. Despite her attempt to cut short Masashi Takeda and Natsuki's interaction, he still managed to discreetly ask for Natsuki's handphone number using the pretext of work.
She clearly underestimated Masashi Takeda. Shizuru thought.
The whole investigation of the crime scenes and hostel room finally came to an end at 7pm.
"Thank you so much Shizuru."
"You are welcome, Lt Kuga." Shizuru glanced at Mai before looking at Natsuki again. "Is the investigation over for the day?"
"Yup, correct. We are done for today." Natsuki replied.
"That's good to know. So that means we can talk about something else besides work now."
Natsuki looked at Shizuru, a questioning look on her face. "Is there something else you would like to speak to me about?" Natsuki was surprised by the sudden change in subject.
"Nothing serious." Shizuru smiled and reassured Natsuki. "I have your jacket dry cleaned and would like to return it to you. And also invite you over for dinner at my place to thank you."
"Oh yes! My jacket. I nearly forgot about it." Natsuki glanced at Mai, who was obviously eavesdropping on their conversation, and totally not discreet at all. "And please, don't worry about it. It should be me that is treating you for a meal. Not the other way round."
"Ara… I am good with that arrangement too. You can come over to my place first."
Natsuki was about to propose a dinner of another day. But Natsuki didn't get to vocalise that suggestion.
"I am sure Lt Tokiha won't mind that I leave with Natsuki first." Shizuru glanced over, a smile on her face.
A statement rather than a question.
Natsuki saw Mai narrowing her eyes, obviously ready to argue otherwise.
Natsuki did what she had been doing the whole day, she intervened.
"Mai, how about you go back and rest first? I will catch up on you tomorrow morning."
Mai narrowed her eyes, displeasure evident on her face.
Natsuki added, "Please."
Still not budging.
"I will buy you your favourite breakfast set tomorrow morning." Natsuki tried to bribe Mai.
Thankfully, Mai finally showed some reactions. She arched her eyebrow, debating for a while, before finally nodding her head.
"I will leave first. See you tomorrow." Mai waved her hand at Natsuki and walked away, not bothering to bid farewell to Shizuru.
Natsuki finally heaved a deep sigh of relief and rubbed her forehead. It had been a tiring day. Physically and mentally.
While Mai toned down her snarky comments after lunch, it would surface occasionally in the course of the day and Natsuki would find herself having to mitigate the situation and maintain a harmonious environment.
It wasn't an easy task.
Natsuki turned and saw Shizuru smiling at her. "Gomenei Shizuru. Mai usually wasn't like that. I apologise on her behalf."
"Ara… Natsuki doesn't have to apologise, not on her behalf." Shizuru didn't need any apology from Natsuki and she didn't want Natsuki to apologise on anyone's behalf.
"Well, you see… I kind of spoke to her about Black Magic and what happened to me that night. And since then, she has become skeptical and suspicious of you. Hence, her behaviour today. My apologies. It was my fault." Natsuki scratched the back of her neck, feeling guilty for having caused such a situation for Shizuru. If she had kept her mouth shut, Mai wouldn't have been so antagonistic towards Shizuru.
But Shizuru brushed the apology aside. "You really don't have to apologise. I can perfectly understand why Tokiha-san would be suspicious of me. How about we put this aside and go for our dinner first?" She had had enough talk about Tokiha Mai.
"We can take your bike and go to my hostel." Shizuru suggested as she casually slipped her hand around Natsuki's arm and tugged her towards the car park.
The journey towards Shizuru's hostal was a short one.
Shizuru tapped open the door to her dormitory using her card and Natsuki entered Shizuru's place for the second time.
"I have the steak prepared. Can you help me prepare the salad?" Shizuru asked as she took out the ingredients.
A few minutes later, the place was filled with the aroma of nicely cooked steaks.
"You are very good with cooking. Do you cook often?" Natsuki commented as she watched Shizuru expertly control the fire beneath the frying pan.
"I do. I used to cook every day for myself when I was younger." Shizuru replied as she flipped the steak. "But I seldom cook now because I normally don't have the time."
Natsuki was surprised at Shizuru's reply because she would have thought that there would be servants to prepare all her meals. Even twenty years ago, the Viola family was already well to do and able to employ servants to prepare meals for the family. So Shizuru shouldn't be preparing her own meals.
But Natsuki didn't raise her question. She wasn't sure if the question was appropriate at this time given that they only knew each other for a short while.
The dinner was really delicious, especially after a long day of work. Natsuki thought as she bit into the last portion of the steak. She preferred her steak to be well down. So it was hard to prepare a well cooked steak without making it dry and tough to chew on. But Shizuru really cooked it very well. The steak was well done and yet tender on the inside.
And most importantly, Shizuru remembered her preference! She even prepared a large bottle of mayonnaise for Natsuki.
"Ne Shizuru, the dinner is absolutely delicious. I really enjoyed it. You are really good at cooking." Natsuki wasn't stingy with her praises.
"Ara… thank you. Please do come over as often as you want and I could prepare food for both of us. It's actually quite hard to prepare food for just one person." Shizuru sighed. "Thanks to you, I get an opportunity to start cooking again. It has been a while and I miss cooking. It is so much easier to prepare food for two people."
"Actually it's my pleasure. Your food is so good and I really enjoy it very much. Perhaps, allow me to buy the ingredients next time and you can come over to my place. We can cook together again next time." Natsuki suggested.
"Really?" Shizuru's eyes brightened at Natsuki's suggestion. "How about this coming weekend?"
"Sure. This Saturday should be good." Natsuki thought about it before agreeing.
"Ne Shizuru, gomenei, may I use your washroom please?" Natsuki asked. And Shizuru directed her to a corner in the kitchen.
Shizuru watched as Natsuki walked towards the washroom. She managed to fix a time to meet Natsuki again.
There were just too many pests circling around Natsuki. There was first Shinoyama Kento-san and then Masashi Takeda-san. For Shinoyama Kento-san, Shizuru wasn't that worried about him. Natsuki couldn't even remember who he was. So, likely the next time Natsuki sees him again, she will also not be able to recognise him either.
As for Masashi Takeda, Shizuru narrowed her eyes when she thought of him. He was a sneaky one. Though he never explicitly showed that he was interested in Natsuki. He might have hid it well but Shizuru knew him. They had been classmates and then colleagues. She had seen how he transformed from a hot headed and rash teenager to a careful and meticulous man. He was indeed interested in Natsuki and was thinking of ways to reach out to her.
She needed to make her moves fast. Though Shizuru wasn't sure if Natsuki was interested in girls. But it didn't matter. She was interested in Natsuki and not simply just the physical attraction. Shizuru wasn't sure if it would move beyond physical attraction and how long it would last. But she would find out as time passed by. She was taught from young to grab hold onto what she wants and currently it was Natsuki.
Something flashed across Shizuru's eyes.
As if she suddenly thought of something, Shizuru leaned back against the sofa and closed her eyes.
There was the sound of toilet flushing and Natsuki stepped out from the washroom.
"Ne Shizuru, I better…" Natsuki stopped in mid sentence when she saw Shizuru sleeping on the sofa.
Her eyes softened.
Shizuru must be tired today. They had been walking all day and Shizuru was always very accommodating and helpful towards them. She had been a great help.
Natsuki walked towards Shizuru and gently patted her arms. "Ne Shizuru… Shizuru…"
There wasn't any response.
Natsuki glanced at the bedroom and then af Shizuru again. There were bruises beneath Shizuru's eyes.
Perhaps she shouldn't wake Shizuru up. Yet, she also couldn't bear leaving Shizuru sleeping on the sofa.
Natsuki thought as she bent towards Shizuru and put her arm around Shizuru's shoulder and under her knees and gently lifted her up.
Natsuki's brows furrowed.
Shizuru was way too light. She needed to eat more.
Natsuki thought as she laid Shizuru gently on her bed, making sure that the pillow was under her head, before releasing her. Perhaps, she could buy more food for Shizuru the next time they meet for dinner.
But just as she was about to pull her hands from under Shizuru, Shizuru moaned and rolled into Natsuki's arms. With the weight in her arms, Natsuki was pulled onto the bed, cradling Shizuru in between her arms.
As if by instinct, Shizuru moved closer towards Natsuki, rubbing a face against Natsuki's chest.
"..."
Natsuki mulled over the idea of waking Shizuru up but rejected the idea. It was getting late and Shizuru might have an early morning tomorrow. It would be better if she could get more sleep.
Natsuki slowly slipped her arms out from under Shizuru and reached out to pull the blanket over Shizuru.
All the while, Shizuru didn't stir.
The door to the hostel finally closed behind Natsuki as she left the hostel.
And at that moment, Shizuru stirred and opened her eyes, eyes that were cleared of any sleepiness.
Today ended on a successful note, Shizuru thought and smiled. And she hadn't had a chance to pass Natsuki her jacket, two jackets in fact, if she counted the one Natsuki lent her when they first met at the nature reserve, trying to catch Shiho-chan.
That meant more opportunities to meet up.
And perhaps, she should make this hostel a more permanent place to stay. She had her own property near the Fuuka University and this hostel was rarely used. Perhaps now that there would be more interaction between Natsuki and her, she should make this place more permanent. And she wouldn't have to trouble Mikoto to do any last minute shopping like what happened today. She had to get Mikoto to buy groceries for the last minute idea of dinner at her hostel today but luckily, Mikoto did it quickly without Natsuki knowing.
The next morning, Natsuki went to the office with Mai's favourite breakfast set.
They printed the map of Fuuka University on A2 size paper and pasted it on the wall. Once done, they traced out the most likely pathways taken by the three victims and identified the three crime scenes.
After a few debates, Mai and Natsuki came to the following conclusion.
Firstly the attacker or attackers were very careful and had gone through much planning and deliberation to hide his presence. He carried out his attacks in secluded places and to sole victims. And he didn't leave behind any evidence. Given the venue of the murders, it was highly likely that the murderer worked or studied in the Fuuka University.
Secondly, it seemed that the victims were random people with no connection to each other. While random, Mai and Natsuki highly suspected that he ended up choosing more females, as the last two victims were females, because they were physically weaker and easier to overpower.
Thirdly, there wasn't a pattern to the murders. The gap between first and second was three days while it was a week between the second and third case. And the locations of the murder were different. Though the only similarity was that both places were secluded areas in the park.
Likely they were facing a very careful and meticulous murderer who was quite random in his killing. And that was a scary thing because it would mean that police would not be able to predict his behaviour and identify his intentions.
Natsuki sighed. No wonder the prefecture police decided to raise the case to the next level. There was simply very little information to profile the killer.
"Ne Natsuki…" Mai was bored after hours of debate and discussion.
"Hmm?" Natsuki replied absentmindedly as she flipped through the reports by the forensic team.
"What did the both of you do after I left?"
"We had dinner."
"Just dinner?"
"Yup. What else do you think we would do?"
"Maybe some casting of spells, stirring bubbling potion in a huge pot and dancing naked around a fire?"
Natsuki glanced sideways at Mai. "Really Inspector Tokiha."
"Yup, really, Inspector Kuga. What else do you want me to say? Hmmm… maybe, perhaps, stay away from her?"
Natsuki rolled her eyes and returned to the reports.
Well it wasn't all hopeless, Natsuki thought. At least they have a few leads to follow up on.
An adult has about 5 liters of blood in their body. But based on the reports, all victims died of blood loss from the two puncture marks. But there was minimal blood spillage at the crime scenes. So there must be ways to extract and keep the blood, despite the ongoing struggle of the victims. There's a possibility that the murderer worked or studied in the health related sector. The murderer could be a nurse or doctor or someone with good knowledge of blood extraction.
And the murderer must have some purpose for extracting so much blood. So the police's next step would be to determine the purpose of the blood extraction and where the murderer stored the extracted blood.
Natsuki tapped her fingers on the table as she considered the multiple angles. Perhaps she should visit the areas at night instead? It might give her more insights as to what the victims and murderer were thinking and doing then.
With her mind made up, Natsuki grabbed her jacket, ready to move off.
"Where are you going?" Mai looked up from her laptop.
"I am thinking of going to the crime scenes again. I am thinking if I could gain a different insight and perspective if I visit the place at night, at the time which the attacks took place."
Mai thought about it. "Possible. That's another angle we can explore. Anyway, there is no harm trying since we really have limited clues here. I can go with you. Give me a minute." Mai moved to switch off her laptop.
"Actually I would need you to speak with Takumi-kun and check with him if he has any knowledge about storage of blood and keeping blood fresh. I am looking at the possible reasons for the huge amount of blood extraction."
Mai cocked her head sideways and thought about it. "Right! Get where you are coming from. Will do it then."
Natsuki left and Mai was finally alone in the room. But suddenly, Mai frowned and looked at her watch. It was only 6pm! It wasn't even night time yet! The timing was far from when the victims were attacked. And Natsuki didn't need six hours to travel to Fuuka University.
That was too early to be visiting the crime scenes right?
Mai narrowed her eyes and a thought occurred to her. She must be visiting that Viola Shizuru.
Mai sighed. She wondered if it was really a good thing for the two of them to get closer to each other.
Natsuki turned her Ducati into the parking lot.
Shizuru replied to her message earlier on and told her that she was having a rehearsal at one of the Lecture Theatre.
So Natsuki decided to pay Shizuru a visit and if Shizuru was free, they could go for a meal.
Natsuki entered the Lecture Theatre and saw rows and rows of chairs. There was a group of people standing on the stage while Shizuru was seated in a chair on the second row.
Natsuki was about to move toward Shizuru when someone stopped her.
"Hi, may I know who you are?" A bespectacled woman with short brown hair approached Natsuki.
"Oh sorry for the interruption. I am Kuga Natsuki, a friend of Viola Shizuru-san. I am here to see her. Is it a convenient time to speak to her? Otherwise I can wait."
"Oh you are here to see Viola-sama?" Surprised flashed across the short hair lady's face as she glanced at where Shizuru was sitting.
Natsuki nodded her head.
"I see. Sorry for stopping you. I am Kikukawa Yukino, the Assistant Manager for the Dean's Office." Kikukawa Yukino introduced herself. "Do you mind waiting for this round of rehearsal to end first before you approach Viola-sama? They are in the midst of rehearsal for the opening and closing ceremony for the upcoming University Cultural Fair."
"Sure. No problem Kikukawa-san. I won't disturb them now." Natsuki slipped her hand into the pockets of her pants and leaned against the way, watching the rehearsal.
Seeing that the new visitor was content with just watching the rehearsal, Kikukawa Yukino left to deal with her own business.
There were a number of people on the stage. Natsuki recognised a few of them, for example, Masashi Takeda-san, Marguerite Tomoe-san and that hmmm… something Kento-san? Natsuki couldn't quite remember his family name. She just remembered him as an impolite and assuming man who called her by the first name, even though she hadn't given him the permission. But it didn't matter. Natsuki shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't planning for any more interaction with him anyway.
As for the rest, Natsuki had no idea who they were, except that the blond-haired lady seemed to be in charge of the rehearsal.
"Masashi-kun, I hope you won't be so stiff in your posture. Smile and be friendly. And Marguerita-san, please stop looking at Viola-san. We are having a serious rehearsal here. The prime minister will be visiting us and it is important that…" The woman rattled on, like a machine gun shooting off bullets. "And Viola-san, don't just sit there! You are the advisor for this event, please do your job!"
"Ara… Suzushiro-san has given really comprehensive feedback ne. It is indeed impressive and I agree with your suggestions. There is nothing much I would need to add." Shizuru replied as she took a sip of her tea.
Suzushiro Haruka nodded her head, evidently pleased that she had covered all the grounds needed.
From the third party's perspective, Shizuru might seem like she was paying attention to the rehearsal. Her eyes were focused on the stage. But in reality, her mind had already drifted to somewhere else. There was a hint of excitement in her eyes.
Natsuki said she was coming over. It was a pleasant surprise to receive Natsuki's message so soon after their meeting last night.
But where was Natsuki now? Perhaps she should send a message to Natsuki?
And Shizuru did as she thought.
And within a minute, Natsuki replied to her message.
Shizuru saw the message and immediately turned around and saw Natsuki standing at the back of the Lecture Theatre.
Natsuki was leaning against the wall, smiling at her. And Shizuru returned the smile. What Shizuru didn't realise was that her smile became brighter and more genuine whenever she saw Natsuki.
Shizuru's heart skipped a beat when she saw Natsuki.
Natsuki was wearing tight fitting work pants coupled with a blue blouse and her jacket was slinged over her shoulder. She was really beautiful even from afar, a feast for the eyes.
"Viola-san… Viola-san…"
Shizuru blinked her eyes and turned to look at Suzushiro Haruka-san.
"Ara, Suzushiro-san, I think it is time for dinner." Shizuru looked at her watch. It was indeed time for dinner and rehearsal was the least of her concerns. Dinner with Natsuki was the top most priority for her now. "And it is hard for everyone to focus when their stomachs are growling."
At Shizuru's comment, the crew on stage nodded their heads. They had been rehearsing for the past two hours with no break at all. Even machines might get overheated from such a long duration of work without breaks.
Suzushiro Haruka frowned. She really didn't want to release them for dinner. The rehearsal wasn't perfect at all. There were so many mistakes in the opening rehearsal!
Suzushiro Haruka was about to reject Shizuru's suggestion when she saw Yukino, who was just standing a few feet away.
"Ne Haruka-chan, we should also have our dinner too."
Suzushiro Haruka sighed and finally relented, since Yukino requested for dinner too. "Alright. One hour of dinner and we will be back to rehearse the opening and closing ceremony. Be on time!"
And with that, everyone on stage dispersed quickly, fearing that Suzushiro Haruka would change her mind at the last minute.
But a few parties were slowed to disperse. Those who were sharper would notice a newcomer at the back of the Lecture Theatre and that included Masashi Takeda and Marguerite Tomoe.
Masashi Takeda looked at Viola Shizuru and then Inspector Kuga Natsuki. His thoughts were well hidden beneath his hooded eyes.
As for Marguerite Tomoe, her thoughts were more obvious than others. Jealousy and anger contorted her face as she failed to control her features.
Why was that bitch here again? Why was she still hovering around Shizuru onee-sama?
She had to control herself first. Tomoe reminded herself. Shizuru onee-sama was looking at her and she didn't like people to make a scene. Tomoe took a deep breath to calm herself and tidied her hair. She had to present her best features for onee-sama.
But when Tomoe glanced over at Shizuru onee-sama, onee-sama already had her back facing her!
Her much struggled composure crumbled and she turned to glare at that bitch.
She would kill that bitch soon, before that bitch hurts Shizuru onee-sama. Tomoe promised herself.
But Tomoe wasn't just the only one watching Natsuki and Shizuru leaving the Lecture Theatre.
Masashi Takeda, up until now, was still standing there, staring at Natsuki, chatting with Shizuru as they left the place.
It was only when Natsuki finally exited the place and Masashi Takeda couldn't see her anymore, then did he turn away and walk off the stage, loosening his tie.
But he stopped mid-stride when he saw Kikukawa Yukino standing there. He nodded his head at her in acknowledgement and moved to walk past her.
But just as Masashi Takeda was about to walk past her, Kikukawa Yukino sidestepped to her right, blocking his path.
"What is it, Kikukawa-san?" Masashi Takeda asked, he cocked his head sideways and studied Kikukawa Yukino.
"Nothing much." Kikukawa Yukino replied, her expression hidden beneath her bangs. "You seemed interested in that blue-haired lady. Just a piece of advice from your fellow colleague. Kuga-san is never part of us. It would be better for her if you stay away from her."
Masashi Takeda narrowed his eyes. His displeasure could be clearly felt. He didn't need anyone to tell him who he should be with. "She may not be part of us but she would be safer with me than Viola. We all know what Viola is capable of."
There was a moment of silence as Kikukawa Yukino contemplated Masashi Takeda's comment.
"I have already given you my advice. Take it or not, it is your business." Yukino turned and left the stage, leaving Masashi Takeda alone.
This was the first time Yukino saw Kuga Natsuki and the first thing that struck Yukino was her beauty. But there were many beautiful people around. Viola Shizuru was one.
So Yukino never paid much attention to it. Not even when Kuga Natsuki said she was Shizuru-sama's friend. Many people had claimed they were friends of Shizuru-sama but Yukino knew most of them weren't even genuine friends of hers.
Most of the 'friends' were admirers of Shizuru-sama and tried finding ways to see and talk to her. And some of them were "friends with benefits" with Shizuru-sama, trying to spend more time with her.
But Yukino didn't mind closing one eye for those 'friends' of Viola Shizuru as long as they don't disturb the rehearsal and disrupt Haruka's work.
Kuga Natsuki would have been easily forgotten by Yukino had Yukino not noticed Viola Shizuru and Masashi Takeda's reactions to that blue-hair beauty. Yukino would have just simply thought that Kuga Natsuki was just a pretty face but she was surprised at Viola Shizuru and Masashi Takeda's attention to that person.
Viola Shizuru hid it very well, so well that Yukino nearly missed the signs.
But the Yukino was from the Kikukawa Clan, she was adept at reading and sensing the energy emitting from a person's soul.
There was a very subtle energy change when Viola Shizuru saw Natsuki. If she had to be accurate, it would be the joy and excitement she was sensing from Viola Shizuru.
As for Masashi Takeda, Yukino stared at the floor and sighed. She sensed possessiveness, greed and discontentment when he was looking at Kuga Natsuki talking to Viola Shizuru.
Yukino sighed again, trying to ease the pressure on her chest.
She wasn't sure if the peace within the campus would continue between the Masahi and Fujino Clan.
The hustling and bustling of the campus finally died down by 10pm.
Natsuki had seen the campus during the day time and the contrast was great when the activities in campus died down at night. The whole place was silent.
The once busy pathway, travelled frequently by students and professors, was empty of people.
Natsuki was at the entrance of the park with Shizuru after their dinner. When she shared that she was visiting the crime scenes again, Shizuru offered to accompany her.
The two of them walked along the pathway. It would have been like a stroll in the park had it not been the time and emptiness of the park.
"This place is practically empty." Natsuki commented as she took in the surroundings. "I would have thought that there would still be people hanging around or at least couples dating in the area."
"There might have been the case if a circular was not sent to the students. The Dean Office sent out a circular to students a few weeks ago, warning them not to stay out late for their safety."
Natsuki nodded her head in agreement. That was a good step in ensuring safety on the campus.
It was definitely a cool night now that autumn had already arrived. Natsuki lifted her face and felt the cool wind blowing against her face.
Just then, she blinked her eyes as if realising something and started taking off her jacket and putting it around Shizuru.
Surprise flashed across Shizuru's face and a genuine smile appeared on her face. "Ara, Natsuki is always giving me her jacket to wear."
But then it was Natsuki's turn to be surprised as Shizuru reached out and gave Natsuki a hug. "Thank you Natsuki."
"Erm.." Natsuki pulled back and coughed into her hand as she tried to hide her shyness. "You are welcome."
Ara… Natsuki was shy again. Despite the dimly lit environment, Shizuru could still see the red hue appearing on Natsuki's face.
But then the red hue disappeared as Natsuki frowned and grabbed Shizuru's hands.
"Your hand is cold! Are you ok? Do you want to return to the hostel first? I could settle this myself." Concern was evident on Natsuki's face. She could feel the coldness of Shizuru's hand just now, when she hugged her.
"Don't worry. That is my usual body temperature." Shizuru assured Natsuki and gave Natsuki's hand a pat. And there was no way Shizuru was going to forgo the opportunity to spend time with Natsuki.
"Really!" Shizuru smiled and reassured Natsuki again. Then the smile widened. "How about this, Natsuki?" Shizuru turned her palm and grabbed hold of Natsuki's hand. "You can help keep my hand warm this way."
"Hold… hold hands?" Natsuki stuttered, this time round the red hue came back with greater force.
"Yes. Hold hands." Shizuru's eyes arched with joy as she tugged Natsuki along towards the crime scene, moving her hand so that her fingers would intertwine with Natsuki's.
This whole situation would have been perfect if it wasn't a walk to investigate the crime scene.
"Ne Natsuki, is this your usual attire at the HQ?" Shizuru asked. Natsuki was really very pretty, no matter which attire she was dressed in. Shizuru mused. She would definitely look dashing in a police uniform. Maybe she could ask Natsuki for pictures of her in a police uniform.
But silence was the only reply to Shizuru's question.
Shizuru glanced at Natsuki. She seemed like she was in a daze.
A teasing smile tugged at Shizuru's lips as she leaned in close and whispered, "Ne Nat-su-ki…"
Natsuki yelped and quickly let go of Shizuru's hand to cover her ear. "Wha… oh...Shi...Shizuru! What...what did you say? Sorry I was distracted."
Actually Natsuki was just thinking how soft Shizuru's hand was. She could feel Shizuru's slender fingers intertwined between hers and it felt really good for some unknown reasons.
Shizuru watched as Natsuki rubbed her already red ear. All the while her face was blushing a furious red.
While Natsuki might have let go of her hand, the result was rather unexpected. She ended up seeing a red-faced Natsuki, rubbing her already red ear.
Ara… I never thought Natsuki to be so sensitive ne…If she continued rubbing, her ear might just bleed. Shizuru thought, stifling the urge to reach out and kiss Natsuki on the ear.
Shizuru wondered what would happen if she did more than that, her eyes darkening with desire.
But it would be a thing for the future. Shizuru thought and tried to rein in the growing desire.
"I was asking if this is your usual attire at the police HQ." Shizuru asked again as she grabbed Natsuki's hand again and pulled the still red faced Natsuki along the path to the crime scene.
"Oh, you mean the work pants and blouse?" Natsuki looked down at the clothes she was wearing. "Nope, this isn't my usual attire. I have a court appearance this afternoon and need to dress for the occasion."
The journey towards the crime scene was filled with small chatters.
Shizuru willingly released Natsuki's hand. She knew Natsuki had shifted to her professional mode and didn't want to interrupt her. There is always a time and place for everything. If Shizuru insisted on hogging Natsuki's attention at this juncture, it would only irritate Natsuki.
Shizuru stood at one corner as Natsuki moved around to reevaluate the crime scene. A serious Natsuki was definitely attractive. Shizuru thought as she stared at Natsuki's profile.
Natsuki stood at the crime scene and looked at her watch. Twenty more minutes until the estimated occurrence of the murder. At this point in time, the criminal could be moving towards this area or already hidden somewhere, Natsuki thought as she moved further away from the crime scene.
There were many hiding spots, shadows to conceal himself. For example, the bushes around the path were tall enough to hide a person and passersby might not even notice the person at night because this area was badly lit at night. They weren't able to notice this during the day time when Mai and her visited this place because everything was well lit and clearly seen. It looked like she made a good decision to visit this place at night.
After playing around with the possible scenarios and angles, Natsuki was finally satisfied and stood up, only to see Shizuru standing not far away, watching over her with a smile on her face. Her long hair was swaying gently in the wind.
To be honest, she was glad that Shizuru agreed to accompany her in this investigation. Natsuki thought as she walked towards Shizuru.
"Let's go to the next venue." Natsuki said as she offered her hand to Shizuru.
"Sure." Shizuru smiled and nodded her head. She liked this show of initiative from Natsuki.
Suddenly, Shizuru's eyes sharpened as she caught sight of something from the corner of her eyes.
With a tug and a push, Shizuru had Natsuki losing her balance. She saw the surprise flashed across Natsuki's face.
The momentum had both of them toppling, falling behind the bushes. But the impact Shizuru was expecting never came as Natsuki's reflex went into action.
With her reflex and instinct, Natsuki quickly tugged at Shizuru, turning sideway so that she was the one who was going to hit the floor first instead of Shizuru.
With a grunted and a winced, Natsuki landed on the floor first, hitting her back on the protruding tree roots from the ground and the thorns from the nearby bushes piercing through her thin layer of clothes. There was a small space in between the tree and bushes and the two of them had landed flat at that area, with bushes completely blocking them from any passersby.
Natsuki wanted to check on Shizuru. But before Natsuki could say anything, Shizuru quickly moved to cover Natsuki's mouth with her hand.
Emerald colour eyes meet ruby colour eyes.
There was a warning look on Shizuru's face. Natsuki immediately stopped moving and stayed silent. Having experienced a few incidents with Shizuru, Natsuki knew that Shizuru was being serious now.
Natsuki pulled Shizuru closer and held firm, ignoring the sharp thorns pushing into her flesh. If there was anything dangerous, the least Natsuki could do is to keep Shizuru safe. Natsuki thought as she moved her hand to where her gun was.
Once Shizuru was sure that Natsuki wasn't making any noise, she leaned in and whispered.
"Listen carefully. Do not make any noise no matter what you see later on. Do not scream or run. I won't be able to protect you then." Natsuki stiffened upon hearing the instruction. "Turn slowly to your right, 10 O'clock."
Natsuki turned and stiffened immediately. Shizuru's hand tightened around Natsuki's face, reminding her not to scream.
Natsuki took in a shaky breath and her face was pale.
SHIT! What in the world was that!? The police training never prepared her for this kind of situation! She wasn't even sure if her gun works on this creature!
In a distance from where they were, Natsuki saw a bodiless head hovering about two metre above the ground. The eyes were glowing an eerily green and the mouth was clutching a lifeless cat in its mouth, sucking in the blood and swallowing it in.
The sound of sucking was loud and clear in the silent night.
Attached to the head was the digestive system, dangling below.
As the head took in the blood from the dead cat, the blood flowed through the oesophagus into the stomach. But most of the blood dripped through the throat, spilling onto the ground.
Suddenly the suckling stopped. There was silence in the air.
Natsuki was completely frozen on the spot. She didn't exactly know what was happening but she sensed that the silence wasn't anything good. She didn't even dare to breathe at that moment as she held her breath.
As if sensing something tasty, the head dropped the dead cat and sniffed the air. It was like an animal spotting traces of its prey and trying to track the prey down.
The dead cat dropped to the ground with a splatter and blood was oozing through the wound.
The head disregarded its previous food as it turned its nose into the air, sniffing and trying to track down the illusive scent that it caught briefly just now.
Suddenly the head turned in their direction, the place where Natsuki and Shizuru were hidding.
It seemed to have caught on to the illusive scent it was looking for and hovered towards the rose bushes.
Shizuru knew that the head had spotted their scent, her eyes a deadly crimson red as she looked over her shoulder.
With a quick movement, Shizuru raised her hand and wrote a series of ancient words in the air, forming a kekkai (barrier magic) concealing all traces of the two of them, both visual and smell.
And just as Shizuru completed the drawing, the head paused its movement, with just a few feet aways from them.
It seemed confused as the delicious scent disappeared suddenly. It sniffled the air again, trying to detect the delicious scent he caught just now. It wanted to move forward again to see if it could catch the scent again but something stopped it.
Natsuki wasn't sure what exactly stopped the head but she assumed that it was Shizuru who prevented the head from discovering them.
The head let out an unwilling growl and reluctantly it hovered back to where the dead cat was and carried it up again, sucking the blood from the cat.
Slowly and unwillingly, it hovered off into the distance.
Once Shizuru was sure that everything was safe, she sat up, pulling Natsuki with her.
A stunned and pale face Natsuki stared into the distance, completely motionless for a moment.
Shizuru wouldn't expect Natsuki to be able to function immediately. Who would after witnessing that? Shizuru thought.
But Natsuki recovered much faster than Shizuru expected.
"What in the world was that?" Natsuki asked, wide eyes, as she pointed in the direction which the head hovered to. The thing she saw just now was beyond her imagination and understanding.
There was a pause before Shizuru replied, "Let's return to my dormitory first and I will explain to you in detail. And it might be safer in my dormitory."
Shizuru didn't think that Natsuki would be in the right frame of mind to drive them back and so she gave Mikoto a call.
Minutes later, Mikoto came and the two of them sat in the car in silence.
"Are you alright, Natsuki?" Shizuru glanced at Natsuki.
Natsuki let out a breath. "Yeah, kind of." She ran her fingers through her hair. "Kind of, I think. A bit of shock here. But otherwise, still ok. I think."
Natsuki wasn't being very coherent and she knew it. She knew she was in a state of shock.
She had seen a ghost before. That was shocking to someone who didn't believe in one. But the shock wasn't as bad as seeing a hovering head without a body, sucking blood from a cat. The shock from these two incidents were on two totally different levels.
She had heard of people speaking about ghosts and scoffed at that. So seeing one might be shocking to her because she never knew one exists. So the shock was akin to proving a long held theory to be false.
But the shock just now was different. She never knew such a thing existed! A decapitated head, sure, Natsuki had seen it in the course of her duty as a police officer. But a decapitated live head that could suck blood, no!
Her understanding of the real world was being challenged every time.
Shizuru grabbed Natsuki's hand. Though Shizuru never showed it, she was worried. She worried that Natsuki would distance herself from her after today. Not everyone would willingly accept that such things exist and such things, things that people fear, were part of Shizuru's life.
Would Natsuki distance herself from her after knowing that she was very much involved in the realm of Black Magic? Shizuru thought.
The touch of Shizuru's hand finally brought Natsuki back from her shock. Natsuki turned over and saw the slight frown on Shizuru's face, and that was when Natsuki realised Shizuru was worried.
"Hey Shizuru," Natsuki squeezed Shizuru's hand. And when Shizuru looked over, Natsuki gave her a reassuring smile. "I am fine. Just shocked that there can be such a thing. But other than that, I am good. Trust me."
A/N:
Thank you guys :)
Another chapter coming up next week. Have a great week ahead.